"Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid Him… So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre." [Jn 20:2, 4]
Famously, John is the apostle/disciple who often wrote of himself, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Five times in his gospel, John points out, (under the influence of The Holy Spirit we might add), that he was the disciple whom Jesus loved. When we think about John’s motive for writing such things, we should remember what is written, “all scripture is God-breathed.” [2 Tim 3:16] Was John’s writing of these things proud? Was it not under the influence of The Spirit? Was it as the words of Job’s friends, of which God said, “ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job[?]” [Job 42:8] The answer to these questions is surprisingly simple; for when we search for the truth to the statement at hand: “does/did Jesus love John,” the answer becomes almost immediately obvious. Yes, of course The Lord Jesus loved John. Were it wrong of John to say such things? Was it ill-mannered of the beloved disciple to take boldness and enjoyment in His Lord Jesus’ love for him? May we allow scripture to be the judge, which proclaims, “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith…” [Heb 10:22] Let us draw near to our Lord with a genuine heart, in full assurance of faith that we are accepted; and if we can draw nigh to The Father, how much more to Christ Jesus who shed His precious blood for our sakes? Whether it is to The Father or to Christ by whom we go to The Father, it remains true: “we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him.” [Eph 3:12]
Therefore, let us take some encouragement from John’s words. They are not proud; neither are they an inside joke or jab at Peter or the other apostles. They are the pure, sincere, truthful words of a man confident in his heavenly husband’s love for Him; and with confidence may we do the same. For each of us are the disciple whom Jesus loves. If you are yet unconvinced, think of an earthly picture in marriage. Would it be wrong, tacky, or otherwise bad for a wife to say to another, “my husband loves me”? We should all agree, if we indeed have healthy pictures of marriage, that it would only be right for the wife to so say; but also, if she felt as though she could not, we might think there to be something amiss.
But I think there is yet more encouragement for us to take. In our verse for today, may we ask ourselves – what is the reason for John to write, under inspiration of The Spirit, that he John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, outran Peter to the tomb? I doubt very much there is pride or revelry of a victory herein contained. But rather, a subtle symbol and reminder of what the love of Christ produces. John was the only writer bold enough to etch in stone as it were that Christ did love him. The other apostles went to their martyr deaths believing in Christ’s love, of that there is no doubt. But which of them would write it in their gospel account, but for John? Let us see here that love motivates the Christian. When a Christian becomes confident and secure in the love of Jesus for them, it motivates them to run their race with more vigor and more swiftness. Even as Paul wrote, “the love of Christ constraineth us.” [2 Cor 5:14] Why was John first to the tomb? I encourage you, dear reader, instead of seeing it merely as a clever jab at his friend, to see therein contained a hidden and symbolic meaning: that the love of Christ motivates and constrains a man, filling him with fresh strength and renewed vigor. For John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, arrived first to the tomb. And similarly, the Christian who is confidently loved and in love with Jesus will likewise run with more speed and strength than another who is not.
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